Amsterdam

Thursday, October 8, 2009 - I awoke in Antwerp in a bit of a haze.. A near-month binge on some of the world's best beer may be the culprit. I don't know if it's because I've had 3 coffees today or it's just the atmosphere here in Amsterdam, but I have awoken.


The ironic thing is, now that we're out of Belgium and my funky beer fantasy, it's like I'm in detox: in Amsterdam. I must be the first person ever in the history of the earth to have just said that.


Our train ride from Antwerp was 2 hours and honestly, I didn't think things would look that different here, but they are. There were plenty of canals in Belgium, but good grief, they are everywhere here. Let me paint you a picture..


- In the states, farm lands are typically separated by wooden or metal fences.
- In the UK, farm lands are separated by stone fences.
- In the Netherlands, farm lands are separated by canals, filled with little boats in them.


Unfortunately I've only been in a mad frantic dash to get online and work, so we really haven't seen much yet. But what we did see walking to our hotel from the train was really, really cool. There's just a really cool atmosphere here; it feels very happy & fun.


I'm sure that doesn't have anything to do with the fact that the only air pollution in Amsterdam is green pot ganja kind bud hemp maryjane, if you know what I mean. And it is indeed everywhere.


Tomorrow, Ana's friend Paula, who grew up 2 doors down from Ana back in Fortaleza, and her husband Roberto, are coming to visit us from Italy.. It will be great to see a familiar face again, even if I can't entirely understand what's coming out of it.

Brasileiros
Eu acordei hoje em Antwerp muito cansado; talvez por causa de beber tanta cerveja todo dia por quase um mes? Nao sei.

Sao canais em todos os lugares aqui! Nas fazendas, na cidade; eh engracado. E as pessoas aqui parecem muito feliz; mas ainda, por causa da cidade, ou por causa da maconha?

Amanha, estamos indo encontrar a Ana Paula (a visinha da Ana em Fortaleza) e o marido dela, Roberto. Estou animado para ver caras que eu conheco!